The DFNI African Safari Charity Ball 2010

The 2010 DFNI African Safari Charity Ball took place on Friday 23 April 2010 at the Marriott Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel, London, For its 15th edition, DFNI raised £55,000.00 for N/a’an ku sê Lifeline Clinic to help improve the health and living conditions of the San children in Namibia.

 The DFNI African Safari Ball

The annual charity ball took place on Friday 23 April at the Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel in Holborn, London.

The generosity of the travel-retail industry was highlighted once again as £55,000.00 was raised in aid of the N/a’an ku sê Lifeline Clinic in Namibia through the main auction and table games.

To see pictures from the evening, click here.

More about N/a’an ku sê

Dr Rudie van Vuuren, his wife Marlice and pharmacist friend Chris Heunis started the Lifeline Clinic in 2003. It began as a monthly outreach service provided by the Doctors and Pharmacist who travelled up from Windhoek to provide free healthcare to the San community. They wanted to help these marginalized local people and to provide accessible affordable primary healthcare to those living in the remote area of Epukiro, in the east of Namibia.
The San are considered to be the oldest culture in the world and are traditionally hunter gatherers. They have been forced from their original lands which are increasingly being used for grazing cattle leaving the San unable to survive in their traditional lifestyle. N/a’an ku sê is committed to improving the lives of the San community through better living conditions and to giving the next generation of this poverty stricken community the education, healthcare and help they need to survive and build a brighter, healthier future.

Claudio Frateschi, who has been in the TFWA management committee for the past 12 years, has been supporting N/a’an ku sê since his first visit in December 2008 and was invited to become the charity’s Patron earlier this year.

For more information on N/a’an ku sê, click on the images below to watch a video or visit their website: www.ecotourism-namibia.com

With your support, N/a’an ku sê will be able to:
- purchase a vehicle able to withstand long journeys on gravel roads, enlist a driver and buy the fuel for a year needed to transport the children to the hospital of the capital and undertake permanent and regular outreach work to take care of the remote communities;
- pay for a new nurse salary for a year to continue to provide free primary healthcare to the San children in the community;
- pay for vital medical supply for the next year to treat the children;
- build a house for the children’s parents to stay close to the clinic and much more...

For more information about the event, contact:
Emily Briday
T : 44 (0) 20 8253 8607
E: emily.briday@DFNIonline.com

News

DFNI Charity Ball auction prizes announced

DFNI Charity Ball beneficiary looks for help

Donations gather pace for DFNI Charity Ball

DFNI Charity Ball to support N/a’an ku sê Lifeline Clinic

Date announced for the 2010 DFNI Charity Ball

News from N/a’an ku sê

A message from N/a'an ku se, 26th April 2010

"It was lovely to meet so many guests at the recent and very successful DFNI event and I hope that everyone enjoyed the evening as much as we did. It was wonderful to be able to talk to so many people about what we do through N/a’an ku sê’s Lifeline Clinic in Namibia.

Thank you to all the guests, sponsors, prize donors and auction bidders and winners for making a huge difference to the San Bushman children, families and community we help through our Clinic. We do not receive any government funding and rely on voluntary donations to continue our vital work. We hope you feel proud of the difference you have made.

We look forward to keeping you updated through the DFNI website and magazine with what we achieve with the funds raised through the evening. Medicines, nursing staff, an ambulance and food for the children are just some of things we already know we can secure for the coming year.

We would be delighted to hear from anyone who would like to get more involved either through your company, making a donation, adopting an animal, sponsoring a child or visiting our stunning lodge in Namibia. You can find out about all of this and more at www.naankuse.com, see pictures from the event at www.facebook.com/naankuse and sign up for our newsletter or to get involved by emailing clairenaankuse@iway.na

Once again, on behalf of all the children and families we are able to see and treat through our clinic, thank you.

Best wishes"

Claire Wormley & Claudio Frateschi
Marketing & Fundraising Manager and Patron of N/a’an ku sê respectively
April 2010

 
“Coughs and colds are other minor problems which have the potential to become severe diseases. We have seen a number of cases of pneumonia in children over the winter months; we had four young children admitted to hospital from the clinic with this in just one month. One of those was seven month old Anna who was recently brought into the clinic. She was very poorly and Dr Maynard Smith was quickly able to diagnose her as having pneumonia. Little Anna was given antibiotics and a nebuliser and then fed oral rehydration solution and soup from a small syringe by our volunteer nurse Katie. We quickly took her to the nearest hospital over 120km away in Gobabis as her condition was so bad ” Watch a video clip of Anna’s story at www.youtube.com/naankuse1 " N/a’an ku sê - October 2009

 
 
“Your support will help to make a difference to children such as Anna 9, who suffers with cerebral palsy due to foetal alcohol syndrome. When she was 3 years’ old, she was one of Rudie van Vuuren’s first patient at the Clinic. She was very malnourished and couldn’t walk or talk. After receiving multi vitamins from the clinic, Anna’s condition improved dramatically. She is now looked after by her grandparents and receives a monthly pack of vitamins. We recently had to transfer her into hospital when she became very ill but she is once again recovering well.” N/a’an ku sê - November 2009

 
“We recently had an expectant mother in the clinic as she was very overdue. Following an ultrasound with us, she delivered the baby herself in her small corrugated tin house whilst the rest of the San community slept outside. We visited the mum and baby Agarob taking a blanket, some new clothes, sterilised equipment and cleaning materials. Unfortunately his umbilical cord had become infected and he looked a little blue, so we brought him and his mother into the clinic. Agarob had a good bath and was given some antibiotics and oxygen whilst his mum Dina had given a check up. Both are now doing well.” N/a’an ku sê - November 2009  

“The prevalence of TB in the region is huge, and sadly TB has to be a potential diagnosis for all the children we see. Just recently a five year old girl came into the clinic with signs of meningitis. We transported her to the hospital with her mother and 6 month old baby brother where all three were admitted – the young girl with TB meningitis. Tragically she died in the hospital. By enabling the doctor and nurse at the Lifeline Clinic to go out and undertake regular outreach work we could diagnose and treat children with symptoms much earlier and save lives we can’t currently reach.” N/a’an ku sê - December 2009